We’re in the midsts of Valentine’s Day planning for next year at work, and this is one Valentine’s Day color palette I’ve fallen in love with. It’s traditionally lovey with the pinks and reds, but that pop of light teal is what really sets it apart. Mix in a dark neutral that has notes of the teal, and you have yourself a not too traditional, but on point palette for the season. But really, I’d use it year round. I feel like I’m practically bleeding that icy pink lately! hah. I’d love to see how this translates to a quirky dinner party, or even in Valentine’s Day decorations around the home.

Whew you guys! Last night I just turned over the files for my biggest freelance project to date, and I treated myself with homemade s’mores. The project will be going live by the end of the year, and I’ll be thrilled to share what has been going on. I’ve even been hiding the what’s what of the project from my family, so that’s been something!

As a second treat, I’m heading home to Pennsylvania for a retreat on the lake. My parents are on the farm in South Dakota, so I’ll have the place to myself and be able to just chill out for a second. This project has taken up the majority of my free-time for the past month or so, and I’m itching to get at my to-do list. The car is packed with my laundry basket, my inbox is ready to get tackled, and my Dave Ramsey DVD’s are ready to go. Since I started working full-time I’ve been meaning to seriously sit down and figure out a financial plan for my future. I’m hoping I can figure out a system that I can actually keep up with. I tried writing down in categories in a binder every. single. purchase. that I made when I started grad school, and that went out the window about a month in. After that month, I felt guilt for letting it all slide, but I could have gone about the whole thing a lot differently. The keyword for the next couple months in my life is balance. Instead of feeling like everything around me needs to be perfect, I’m switching to figuring out how everything around me can be balanced. It’s a leap for me to think that way, but it’s a much needed shift I’m trying to integrate into a lot of my behaviors. Yay for prioritization and not feeling guilty for letting certain things slide!

Happy weekend friends!

PS: Sorry for bringing up personal finance on a Friday! I’m gross, I know.

I’ve left for home in Pennsylvania, and I’ve spent the last week or so happily ignoring my computer, drinking coffee with my parents, and watching an absurd amount of Toddlers & Tiaras. It’s my firm belief that the holidays are for ignoring real responsibility and giving in to those guilty pleasures.

I hope you’re all having a very happy holiday and getting to indulge in something ridiculous. My dad came in to announce that he is running to the store to pick up chestnuts so we can roast them as a family tonight. Mmmmk. Here’s to new and old holiday traditions, and just having some time to live in the moment for a second or two.

My dear friend Megan gets into town today and I’m beyond excited to galavant around Savannah with her this weekend. I think this outfit would be perfect for our adventures, don’t you think? The warm weather is still here, and I’m soaking in every last bit before the cold comes—which I’m also extremely excited about embracing. Can you say sweater dresses?

This photo is from the series Not so Serious by Vishesh Verma, and it’s seriously gorgeous. Talk about a fantasy photo shoot! I encourage you to check out the rest by clicking on the source link below!

It’s been a fantastic ride my friends, and today officially marks my first year in blogging! I can’t even begin to tell you what a journey this has been and how much blogging has helped me grow as a person and as a designer. It’s truly fantastical. AND, meeting and talking to so many of you, yes YOU! The new found friendships that blogging has brought my way have really put something more than a pep in my step. Thank you so much for bearing with me for so long.

While I don’t have any big surprise up my sleeve for this day, I do have a couple of good things coming your way in the upcoming weeks that I’m excited to share with you all. Pinegate Road has already begun to turn into something a little different than it’s original intentions, and I hope over this next year I’ll be able to really mix in some of my new found passions into this space. Midway through this next year I’ll be attending Alt Summit—I’m still shaking with excitement over that one. I believe that will be another transformative moment for this little space on the internet, and I can’t wait to see how all of this unfolds.

As I’ve been aloof for a bit, here are some happenings from the past week that I thought I’d share with you:

It’s nice to start Mondays off neutral, right? This work is by one of my favorite artists Matt Wisniewski and it’s called Head Full of Air. I even featured some of his work here. Happy Monday everyone.

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